What Are the Benefits of Magnesium Glycinate?

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LINDA TARR KENT Last Updated: Oct 03, 2017

Linda Tarr Kent

Linda Tarr Kent is a reporter and editor with more than 20 years experience at Gannett Company Inc., The McClatchy Company, Sound Publishing Inc., Mach Publishing, MomFit The Movement and other companies. Her area of expertise is health and fitness. She is a Bosu fitness and stand-up paddle surfing instructor. Kent holds a bachelor's degree in journalism from Washington State University.

Nuts are a natural source of magnesium.

Magnesium glycinate is made up of magnesium, an essential mineral, and glycine, a non-essential amino acid. It is easily absorbed by your body, likely because it gets carried to your cells bound to the amino acid. This form of magnesium also is desirable because it’s less likely to cause a laxative effect. Supplementing with magnesium glycinate can have several benefits. However, you need to consult a health care provider before using it, especially if you are attempting to treat a deficiency or health issue.

Chronic Fatigue and Firbromyalgia

Taking magnesium glycinate may help alleviate some symptoms if you suffer from chronic fatigue syndrome or fibromyalgia, says Jonathan Prousky, author of “The Vitamin Cure for Chronic Fatigue Syndrome.” People suffering these conditions often have a degree of oxygen deprivation to their tissues, which sometimes is related to an inability to properly utilize magnesium in the body. Oxygen deprivation can lead to muscle pain and tenderness as well as fatigue, Prousky notes. Taking a readily absorbable form magnesium—magnesium glycinate or magnesium citrate--as well as malic acid can help alleviate this problem, Prousky says. He recommends 300 mg magnesium and 1,200 mg malic acid a day. Consult a healthcare provider before supplementing with magnesium or choosing a dose, however.

Mood

Magnesium glycinate may help you balance your mood swings because it’s needed to regulate neurotransmitter receptor sites, says Lewis Harrison, author of “Healing Depression Naturally.” People suffering serious depression often have low blood levels of this mineral, Harrison notes. Early mental symptoms may include apathy, anorexia, confusion, reduced ability to learn, poor memory, anxiety, grieving, irritability, insomnia or delirium. Physical symptoms can include numbness, body tingling, crying, sustained muscle contractions and irregular or rapid heartbeat. Magnesium glycinate may be an especially helpful form for addressing such symptoms because magnesium helps stabilize your nervous system and the amino acid glycine produces a calming effect on your body, Harrison says. The glycine component of magnesium glycinate also helps to remove mercury from your body. This is called chelation. Mercury can lead to emotional instability, Harrison said. Use of magnesium glycinate to treat depression is this is based on anecdotal evidence, however, not clinical studies.

Deficiency

If you are suffering from a magnesium deficiency, magnesium glycinate or other forms of chelated magnesium may be your best bet because they are so well absorbed, says Carolyn Dean, author of “The Magnesium Miracle.” Your body may tolerate magnesium glycinate better than magnesium oxide, which is commonly used for this purpose, notes Donald Goldberg, lead author for “The Best Supplements for Your Health.” Early magnesium deficiency symptoms can include weakness, fatigue, appetite loss, nausea and vomiting, according to the U.S. Office of Dietary Supplements. Later symptoms include tingling, abnormal heart rhythms, cramps, seizures, personality changes, and coronary spasms. Severe deficiency can lead to low calcium levels in your blood or low blood potassium levels. Such symptoms can be the result of a variety of medical conditions, however, so it’s important for your physician evaluate any health complaints and oversee your care, say the experts at ODS.